Behavioral role of PACAP signaling reflects its selective distribution in glutamatergic and GABAergic neuronal subpopulations

The neuropeptide PACAP, acting as a co-transmitter, increases neuronal excitability, which may enhance anxiety and arousal associated with threat conveyed by multiple sensory modalities. The distribution of neurons expressing PACAP and its receptor, PAC1, throughout the mouse nervous system was determined, in register with expression of glutamatergic and GABAergic neuronal markers, to develop a coherent chemoanatomical picture of PACAP role in brain motor responses to sensory input. A circuit role for PACAP was tested by observing Fos activation of brain neurons after olfactory threat cue in wild-type and PACAP knockout mice. Neuronal activation and behavioral response, were blunted in PACAP knock-out mice, accompanied by sharply downregulated vesicular transporter expression in both GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons expressing PACAP and its receptor. This report signals a new perspective on the role of neuropeptide signaling in supporting excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the nervous system within functionally coherent polysynaptic circuits.

Selected Lactobacillus strains isolated from sugary and milk kefir reduce Salmonella infection of epithelial cells in vitro

The isolation of potentially probiotic strains and the subsequent study of their properties are very important steps to gain insight in the health benefits ascribed to sugary and milk kefir. The aim of the present study was to characterise fifteen Lactobacillus strains isolated from these beverages by determining some surface properties and their ability to antagonise enterocyte cell damage after Salmonella infection in vitro. Lactobacillus surface properties were determined by hydrophobicity, autoaggregation, and coaggregation assays with Salmonella. In addition, lactobacilli adhesion to Caco-2/TC-7 cells and the effect on Salmonella invasion were evaluated. Finally, the disassembly of F-actin cytoskeleton on intestinal epithelial cells was assayed in vitro when Salmonella infection was performed in the presence of selected Lactobacillus strains. Ten out of the 15 strains showed a high adhesion capacity to Caco-2/TC-7 cells. Most of the strains were hydrophilic and non-autoaggregating. Strains isolated from sugary kefir were non-coaggregating with Salmonella, while strains Lactobacillus paracasei CIDCA 83120, 83121, 83123, 83124, 8339, 83102 isolated from milk kefir were able to coaggregate after 1 h. L. paracasei CIDCA 8339 and Lactobacillus kefiri CIDCA 83102 were able to diminish Salmonella invasion to the enterocytes. An antagonistic effect on cytoskeleton disruption elicited by the pathogen was also demonstrated. Our results suggest that both strains isolated from milk kefir could be considered as appropriate probiotic candidates.